Reinforced concrete.



R, MoLAUGHLIN. v REINFORCED GONURETE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, 1908.

Patented Apr.5, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET- 1.'

1.1 III-I III-- wi'meooco R. MoLAUGHLIN. REINFORUED CONCRETE.

. APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, 1908- I 954,128,. v Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

Utter/m4 ROBERT MGLAUGHLIN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

REINFORCED CONCRETE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

Application filed July 21, 1908. Serial No. 444,628.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT lVICLAUGHLIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Reinforced Concrete, of which improvement.the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved construction of reinforced concrete,and its objcct isto provide cheap, efficient and scientificallyconstructed reinforcing members which are to be incorporated in concretebeams girders, or other supports wherebythe least amount of metal willbe employed for a given strength as compared with the forms ofconstruction now in general use.

A further object is to provlde a construction which can be easilymanufactured and set up without the use'of much labor or time.

The leading and more important features of my invention consist in theapplication of the greater compressive strength of cast iron which is toresist the forces of compression in the concrete and thereby materiallyreduce the sectional area of all the compressive members andconsequently reduce their weight and cost.

In the accompanying sheets of drawing illustrating the features. of myinvention,- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a rein-- forcedconcrete girder showing an articulated or jointed compression member,and a taper tension member. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of same online '2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of articulatedor jointed compression member, showing bolt for holding pieces togetherand for putting initial compression into compression member. Fig. i isan end view of same with bolt removed. Fig. 5 is a view in elevation ofa tension member of varying sectional area, or tapering from a largersize at the middle to smaller sizes at both ends. Fig. 6 is alongitudinal section of'reiuforced concrete girder having curvedcompression member composed of cast or wrought iron or steel piecesarticulated or jointed by ball and socket joints and a bolt runningthrough its axis to hold said pieces in position and for putting initialcompression into member; and a tension member of wrought ironor steeleither of uniform or of varying sectional area. Fig. 7 is a transversesection of same on line 1111. Figs. 8 and 9 show modified forms of thecompressionniember.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 represents the concrete of thegirder or beam, having embedded therein the cast iron compression member2, which, in this instance,

is an articulated or jointed bar consisting of a number of shortsections or spools 2, put together with straight joints on a bolt 3,which passes through their axes to hold them together while eing placedin position in the structure and also to give initial compression. Thespools are preferably made of conical form and placed in such relationto one another that a shoulder is formed at the joint, which shoulderforms a grip or bond for the concrete.

As is well known, cast iron can resist a compressive strain of 1%,000pounds to a square inch of cross sectional area, while that of the usualgrade of steel or wrought iron is considerably less andnever over 10,000pounds; thus it will be readily seen from this that great advantages asto weight and cost of reinforcing material to be employed are obtainedwhen cast iron is used to resistthe compressive strains in reinforcedconcrete, as pointed out in this specification.

The lower or tension member 4: is preferably composed of wrought iron orsteel of varying sectional area. and forms no part of my presentinvention. This member assumes the form of a taper bar or bars havingits or their largest dimension at the middle, and tapering to smallerdimensions at the two ends, which are preferably bent upwardly as shown,for the purpose of anchoring. The use of a bar tapering from the middleto smaller dimensions at both ends is based on the fact that thegreatest bending moment of a girder or beam occurs at its middlesection; therefore the strength should be greatest at that point.

In Figs. 6 and 7 the same general conis curved and the articulatedspools or short sections 5 are provided with ball and socket joints, toenable them to assume any curvature on the. positioning bar or rod 6,which is of the same construction and function as in Figs. 16. 6' areeither uniform or varying in cross section, steel or wrought irontension members.

From the foregoing description and illusing bar, while Fig. 9 shows thespools or articulated sections 13, provided with a circular flange 15,as indicated, for engaging the concrete when embedded therein.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A reinforced concrete structure having an element to resistcompression strains consisting of an articulated bar comprising a seriesof connected and abutting cast iron spools or sections.

2. A reinforced concrete structure having an element to resistcompression strains consisting of an articulated bar comprising a seriesof connected and abutting cast iron spools or sections having ball andsocket joints.

3. A reinforced concretestructure having an element to resistcompression strains consisting of an articulated bar comprising a seriesof connected and abutting cast iron spools or sections each of which isa frustum of a cone in shape and so arranged that the smaller end of oneis in juxtaposition to the larger end of the next spool or section.

4. A reinforced concrete structure having. an element to resistcompression strains con sisting of an articulated bar of cast ironhaving a hole through its axis and a retaining or positioning barinserted in said hole. 5

5. A reinforced concrete structure'having an element to resistcompression consisting of an articulated bar of cast iron having a holethrough its axis and a bolt inserted in said hole, said bolt beingadaptedto put initial compression in the bar.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT MGLAUGHLIN.

Witnesses JAMES MCLAUGHLIN, THOMAS B. COOPER.

